Plutonium

Symbol PuAtomic number 94
Atomic mass
244
Thermal conductivity
0.06774
Atomic radius
...
Covalent radius
...
Density
19.8
Atomic volume
12.32
Melting point
914
Oxidation states
6,5,4,3
Boiling point
3503
Stable isotopes
0
Heat of vapor.
344
Electronegativity
1.28
Heat of fusion
2.84
First ionization
6.06
Specific heat
0.13
Electrical conduct.
...
Electron configuration

General descriptionNuclear data
Index

Periodic Table

Chemistry concepts
 
HyperPhysicsR Nave
Go Back





Plutonium

Plutonium is a man-made trans-uranic element. Plutonium-238 was the first isotope to be made. The process involved bombarding uranium-238 with deuterium. Neptunium-239 is made as an intermediate product, which then decays to form plutonium-238.

Plutonium was first discovered by Glenn Seaborg and collaborators at the University of California, Berkeley.

Plutonium-238 is used as the main heat source for Radioisotope Thermal Generators which supply electric power for spacecraft. It's relatively short half-life makes it a potent heat source. At right shows the glowing of a pellet of PuO2 from its own self-heating ( from Wikipedia).
Atomic dataNuclear data
Index

Periodic Table

Chemistry concepts

Reference
Pauling
Ch. 29
 
HyperPhysicsR Nave
Go Back







Plutonium Nuclear Data

Z
A
Atomic
Mass (u)
Nuclear
Mass(GeV/c2)
Binding
Energy(MeV)
Spin
Natural
Abund.
Half-life
Decay
Q
MeV
94
238
238.049553
...
...
0
...
87.7 y
a
5.593
94
239
239.052158
222.6294
1806.9
1/2
...
24.11ky
b-
5.24
94
242
242.058737
225.4301
1825.0
0
...
0.376My
a
4.98
94
244
244.064198
227.2982
1836.1
0
...
82My
a
4.67

Plutonium-239 is the isotope which can undergo nuclear fission. It is produced in breeder reactors, with neutron absorption by uranium-238 leading to a breeding reaction which produces the Plutonium-239 isotope. Plutonium-239 was used in the manufacture of the nuclear fission bomb dropped on Nagasaki during World War II.

Atomic data
Index

Periodic Table

Chemistry concepts

Reference
Rohlf
 
HyperPhysicsR Nave
Go Back